boat 1 of 2

noun

ˈbōt How to pronounce boat (audio)
Definition of boatnext
1
as in vessel
a small buoyant structure for travel on water paddling the little boat across the lake is great exercise, but tiring

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in ship
a large craft for travel by water you'll have to take a passenger boat to get to the island

Synonyms & Similar Words

boat

2 of 2

verb

as in to sail
to travel on water in a vessel boated to the picnic site on an island in the bay

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of boat
Noun
The town also serves as the primary jumping-off point for boat tours, kayaking excursions, whale watching trips, and, of course, visits to Acadia National Park. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 5 July 2026 His father founded the family’s marine towing and salvage business in Miami in 1957, and Korpela grew up living on boats in Coconut Grove and around Dinner Key. — Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Verb
Visitors can cool off with whitewater rafting and boating on the broad, fast-flowing Potomac or the tamer, slow-moving Shenandoah. — Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 21 June 2026 Meanwhile, a boating day trip to Isla Cristóbal offers a chance to interact with the indigenous Ngäbe-Buglé people. — Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for boat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boat
  1. vessel
  2. ship
  3. sail
  4. yacht
  5. ferry
  6. canoe
  7. kayak
  8. raft
Noun
  • Deadly boating tragedies are common in the central African country, where late-night travels and overcrowded vessels are often blamed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
  • The control system receives information and controls the installations of these systems via the various programmable logic controllers (PLCs) distributed throughout the vessel – around ten on the Scorpène.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026
Definition of vessel
Noun
  • Any monetization of the strait would be a dramatic change from the situation before the war, when commercial ships carrying 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas supply transited the waterway without fees.
    — Abigail Williams, NBC news, 3 July 2026
  • The Navy had to wait for specialized technicians to arrive or ship massive parts across the globe to repair depots in the US, keeping combat jets grounded.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 July 2026
Definition of ship
Verb
  • Facing no one but the goalkeeper, Moshobane sailed an uncontested shot from 18 yards over the top of the net.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 3 July 2026
  • The ship was sailing an Alaska and Canada voyage round-trip from San Francisco, according to CruiseMapper.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of sail
Noun
  • The atmosphere is infectious, attracting a discerning international crowd, yacht enthusiasts, fashion aficionados, and travelers who are seeking a blend of luxury and authenticity.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 July 2026
  • The 80-foot sailing yacht follows in the footsteps of Baltic’s popular 68 Café Racer, adding some extra oomph and more space for all your weekend sailing adventures.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 4 July 2026
Definition of yacht
Verb
  • With a capacity of 45 passengers, the mésoscaphe, a submarine for shallow to mid-range depths, made more than a thousand dives that summer, ferrying 33,000 ordinary people into the lake’s depths.
    — Bill Gourgey, Popular Science, 2 July 2026
  • The gift from the Middle Eastern power raised ethical concerns, but Trump saw the plane as a necessary replacement to the 35-year-old planes that had previously ferried him as president.
    — Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of ferry
Noun
  • Māori mythology locates Karikari as the location where the first canoes landed in New Zealand.
    — Nielsen Dinwoodie, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • But Hearn took his whitewater canoe straight into the raging rapids, where officers later swooped in and arrested him.
    — Jasmine Baehr , Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of canoe
Noun
  • Assateague's spectacular national seashore is best explored by kayak.
    — Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 26 June 2026
  • On the Water Rent a kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard from Crystal River Outfitters and explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore via the meandering Crystal River.
    — Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 24 June 2026
Definition of kayak
Noun
  • Despite a raft of Western sanctions, Moscow remains among the world's top exporters of oil and natural gas.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 June 2026
  • Despite a raft of Western sanctions, Moscow remains among the world’s top exporters of oil and natural gas.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026
Definition of raft

Browse Nearby Words

boasts
boat
boated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Boat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boat. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on boat

Nglish: Translation of boat for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All